World Record Set Using HOBAS Pipes

One of the largest and most difficult pipe jacking installations ever attempted in the U.S. was the Oakwood Beach Interceptor, Hylan Blvd. project, Contract 6B-2 on Staten Island, N.Y. using special design HOBAS fiberglass pipes. Contractor E.E. Cruz of Holmdel, N.J. placed approximately 7,000 ft. of new 60" sanitary sewer line. The job required nearly three years to construct due to the difficult soil conditions, very deep depths (80 to 90 ft.) and high water table (50 to 60 ft. above the pipes).

World Record Jack

This project was previously reported in the August, 1989 newsletter after the first push of 1,158 ft. was successfully completed. Since that time, Cruz attempted and completed jacks of 209 ft., 1,336 ft., 1,170 ft., 1,560 ft., 950 ft. and 492 ft. Quoting from an E.E. Cruz press release regarding the 1,560 ft. distance, "The length appears to establish a world single drive jacking record using a remote-controlled micro-tunneling with slurry excavation technique." The laser guidance system brought all of the bores home within 1" of both line and grade.

HOBAS Far Superior

E.E. Cruz repeatedly stated that jacks of these distances in the Hylan Blvd. project conditions could only be completed with this success and reliability using HOBAS pipes. HOBAS pipes provide benefits and a consistent high quality level unavailable with other jacking pipes. Other contractors working on adjacent sections of this massive project using other materials and procedures made little progress over the same three year period. In fact, the New York City Bureau of Sewers contemplated a contract extension to E.E. Cruz to install additional quantities of HOBAS pipes on other portions of the Oakwood Beach Interceptor where other methods were unsuccessful.